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William Grace was born in Dublin on 18 July 1936. He was received into the Capuchin Franciscan Order on 3 October 1953 and took John as his religious name. He spent his novitiate years in Rochestown Friary and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from University College Cork. He was ordained to the priesthood in County Donegal in June 1961. Following his ordination, he volunteered for missionary work and arrived in Livingstone in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) in September 1961. He remained a missionary friar in Zambia for the rest of his life (aside from year spent in St. Patrick’s College in Maynooth, County Kildare, taking a higher diploma in education). He returned to Zambia and took up a staff position at the Teachers’ Training College in Malengwa near Mongu in Western Zambia. He also acted as superior and parish priest in Malengwa, a location covering approximately two hundred and fifty square miles with a Catholic populace of about four thousand. He was appointed Vicar General in Mongu, the capital of the Western Province of Zambia, in 1997. He died in Lusaka, Zambia, on 2 October 2013. He was buried in the cemetery attached to the Capuchin novitiate at the Camerino Friary in Lusaka.

Baptismal name: William Grace
Religious name: Fr. John Grace OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 18 July 1936
Place of birth: Dublin
Name of father: John Grace
Name of mother: Catherine (Kathleen) Grace (née Hyland)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 3 Oct. 1953
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1954
Date of solemn profession: 4 Oct. 1957
Date of ordination (as priest): 1 June 1961
Educational attainments: BA (1957); Higher Diploma in Education (1973)
Missionary activities: Travelled to Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia) on 26 Sept. 1961; Appointed Vicar General (Mongu, Zambia) on 14 June 1997.
Date of death: 2 Oct. 2013
Place of death: Lusaka, Zambia
Place of burial: Cemetery, Capuchin Novitiate, Camerino Friary, Lusaka, Zambia

Baptismal name: Joseph Fegan
Religious name: Fr. Aengus Fegan OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 16 May 1927
Place of birth: St. Luke’s Cross, Cork
Name of father: Joseph Fegan
Name of mother: Angela Fegan (née Cooke)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 3 Oct. 1948
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1949
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1959
Date of ordination (as priest): 10 May 1959
Educational attainments: BA (NUI), 1952; Higher Diploma in Education (NUI), 1959
Ministries: Worked in the Capuchin College, Rochestown, County Cork (Secondary School) for most of life teaching art, English, and geography
Date of death: 3 June 2002
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork

William Neary, the son of John Leary and Brigid Neary (née Dowling), was born on 24 May 1857 in Freshford, County Kilkenny. Michael Neary, an older brother, joined the Capuchins in 1875 and took the religious name of Fidelis. William followed in his brother’s footsteps and joined the Order in Kilkenny a year later in May 1876. He took Paul as his religious name and was solemnly professed as a friar in October 1881. Following his profession, he was sent to France to continue his studies. He returned to Ireland and was ordained a priest in April 1881. In 1884, the Irish friars succeeded in re-establishing administrative autonomy by reconstituting a canonical Irish Capuchin Province with a Belgian-born friar, Fr. Seraphin Van Damme OSFC (1820-1887), appointed as Provincial Minister (Superior). In January 1887, Fr. Paul was summoned to Rome and was appointed the first Irish-born Provincial Minister of the reconstituted Irish Capuchin Province. Fr. Paul played a key role in the organisation of the celebrations of the centenary of the birth of Fr. Theobald Mathew OSFC (1790-1856) in 1890 and in the campaign to secure funds to complete the church named in his honour (Holy Trinity, or Father Mathew Memorial Church in Cork). As Provincial Minister, and later as Vice-President of Father Mathew Hall in Dublin, he campaigned widely for the promotion of temperance. When the Catholic hierarchy invited the Irish Capuchins to undertake a nationwide crusade for the revival of temperance in 1905, Fr. Paul was the principal organiser and facilitator of this missionary campaign. Plagued by regular bouts of ill-health in his latter years, Fr. Paul Neary died in the Capuchin Friary on Church Street in Dublin on 20 June 1939 and was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Baptismal name: William Neary
Religious name: Fr. Paul Neary OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 24 May 1857
Place of birth: Freshford, County Kilkenny (Diocese of Ossory)
Name of father: John Neary
Name of mother: Brigid Neary (née Dowling)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 24 May 1876
Date of first profession: 27 May 1877
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1880
Date of ordination: 4 Apr. 1881
Date of death: 20 June 1939
Place of death: Capuchin Friary, Church Street, Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin
Leadership positions: Provincial Minister, 1887-90, 1890-3, 1904-7; Provincial Definitor, 1885-8, 1895-8, 1901-4, 1913-7.
Note: Fr. Fidelis (Michael) Neary OFM Cap. (1855-1932) was a brother of Fr. Paul Neary OFM Cap.

John McNamara was born in Glin, County Limerick, on 10 September 1931. He was baptised in the Immaculate Conception Parish Church in Glin in the Diocese of Limerick. He attended the national school in Glin after which he received his secondary education at Rochestown College in County Cork. He was admitted to the Capuchin novitiate in Rochestown on 3 October 1950. Following his temporary profession in Rochestown a year later, he was transferred to St. Bonaventure’s Friary in Cork from where he attended University College Cork for three years, after which he was conferred with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He made his perpetual profession in St. Bonaventure’s on 4 October 1954 and then made his way to Ard Mhuire Friary in Donegal for theological studies. He was ordained to the priesthood by William McNeely, Bishop of Raphoe, in St. Eunan’s Cathedral in Letterkenny on 15 May 1958. Later that year, he commenced Canon Law studies in Rome and obtained a Licentiate in 1960. On 17 August 1960, Fr. Donatus departed for the Irish Capuchin mission in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). He first served as assistant pastor in St Therese’s and in Maramba, both in the Livingstone Diocese, from 1960 to 1963. He then went on to teach seminarians in St. John’s in Mongu, in Limulunga and in Nalionwa (Kalabo) from 1964 to 1978. He was rector of the school at Limulunga from 1965 to 1978. He returned to Ireland in 1978, when he became a member of the staff at Rochestown College, teaching there for the next ten years. In 1988 he was appointed Mission Secretary and worked out of the mission office at the Church Street Friary in Dublin. In 1998, he returned to Zambia. He was posted to Malengwa Friary in Mongu, the capital of the Western Province in Zambia, and was appointed chaplain to Mongu Teacher Training College. After a two-year stay (2008-10), in St. Pio Friary, Fr. Donatus was transferred to the recently built Capuchin novitiate at the Camerino Friary in Lusaka, where he lived until his death on 5 July 2021. He was buried in the cemetery attached to the Camerino Friary.

Baptismal name: John McNamara
Religious name: Fr. Donatus McNamara OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 10 Sept. 1931
Place of birth: Glin, County Limerick
Name of father: Thomas McNamara
Name of mother: Brigid McNamara (née Egan)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 3 Oct. 1950
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1951
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1954
Date of ordination (as priest): 15 May 1958
Educational attainments: BA, 2nd class hons. (1954); Licentiate in Canon Law, Rome (1960)
Missionary activities: Travelled to Livingstone, Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia), on 17 Aug. 1960. He returned to Ireland on 10 Aug. 1976. He returned to Zambia in Sept. 1998.
Date of death: 5 July 2021
Place of death: St. Clare’s Hospital, Makeni, Lusaka, Zambia
Place of burial: Cemetery, Capuchin Novitiate, Camerino Friary, Lusaka, Zambia

Baptismal name: Edmond Murphy
Religious name: Fr. Theophilus Murphy OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 11 Apr. 1928
Place of birth: Newmarket, County Cork (Diocese of Cloyne)
Name of father: Edmond Murphy (Farmer)
Name of mother: Ellen Murphy (née Riely)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 2 Oct. 1946
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1947
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1950
Date of ordination (as priest): 23 May 1954 (Holy Trinity, Cork)
Educational attainments: BA, 2nd class hons. (1950)
Missionary activities: Travelled to Livingstone, Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia), on 31 Aug. 1954. He returned to Ireland on 6 Oct. 2006.
Leadership positions: Regular Superior, Zambian Mission, 1973-6, 1976-9, 1985-8. He served as Administrator of the Diocese of Livingstone from 1984-5. He also served as a Parish Priest and Diocesan Consultor in Livingstone.
Date of death: 6 Oct. 2006
Place of death: Holy Trinity Capuchin Friary, Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork

Baptismal name: Patrick Murphy
Religious name: Fr. Hugh Murphy OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 3 Dec. 1919
Place of birth: Newmarket, County Cork (Diocese of Cloyne)
Name of father: Edmond Murphy (Farmer)
Name of mother: Ellen Murphy (née Riely)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 3 Oct. 1939
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1940
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1943
Date of ordination (as priest): 5 June 1947
Educational attainments: BA (1943)
Missionary activities: Travelled to Barotseland, Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia), on 24 Dec. 1947.
Date of death: 9 Mar. 1990
Place of death: Livingstone, Zambia
Place of burial: Livingstone, Zambia

Baptismal name: Patrick Carroll
Religious name: Fr. Alphonsus Carroll OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 17 Aug. 1874
Place of birth: Killacolla, County Limerick
Name of father: John Carroll (Farmer)
Name of mother: Elizabeth Carroll (née Barry)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 24 Aug. 1902
Date of first profession: 17 Sept. 1903
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1906
Date of ordination (as priest): 5 Sept. 1909
Date of death: 27 Aug. 1934
Place of death: Lindville Hospital, Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork

Baptismal name: Michael Browne
Religious name: Fr. Luke Browne OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 12 Sept. 1920
Place of birth: Kilcorney, Mallow, County Cork (Diocese of Cloyne)
Name of father: John Browne (Publican and Farmer)
Name of mother: Hannah Brown (née Herlihy)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 3 Oct. 1939
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1940
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1943
Date of ordination (as priest): 27 May 1948
Educational attainments: BA, 1st class hons. (1943); MA, 2nd class hons. (1944)
Missionary activities: Travelled to Barotseland, Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia), on 11 Nov. 1949. He returned to Ireland on 15 Nov. 2004.
Date of death: 11 Apr. 2008
Place of death: Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, Cork

Eugene McGillicuddy was born in Cork on 8 September 1901. An enthusiastic and prominent member of the Third Order of St. Francis confraternity in his native city, he entered the Capuchin novitiate in April 1939 and took Gabriel as his religious name. After his profession, he was for some years a member of the Ard Mhuire community in County Donegal. He subsequently volunteered for the African missions and arrived in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) in February 1946. Br. Gabriel initially worked in Mukunkiki with Fr. Aquinas Carroll OFM Cap. and Fr. Salvator Quinn OFM Cap. In 1948, a decision was taken to move this mission to Mangango, located about thirty kilometres distant, and Br. Gabriel enjoyed a long association with this locality. He was particularly involved in the construction of mission churches, hospitals, and schools. In 1959, Fr. Bruno McKnight OFM Cap. and Br. Gabriel began work on the church of Saint Michael the Archangel and adjoining school at Nalionwa. This work was completed in 1960. He also supervised the construction of Saint John’s Secondary School in Katongo (1962) and Holy Cross Secondary School in Malengwa (1964). Br. Gabriel returned to Ireland in July 1983. He died at Ard Mhuire Capuchin Friary in County Donegal on 7 July 1998 and was buried in the adjoining cemetery.

Baptismal name: Eugene Joseph McGillicuddy
Religious name: Br. Gabriel McGillicuddy OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 8 Sept. 1901
Place of birth: 5 King’s Terrace, Cork
Name of father: Daniel McGillicuddy (Grocer)
Name of mother: Ellen McGillicuddy (née Molyneaux)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 21 Apr. 1939
Date of first profession: 22 Apr. 1940
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1943
Missionary activities: Travelled to Barotseland, Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia), on 21 Feb. 1946. He returned to Ireland on 21 July 1983.
Date of death: 8 July 1998
Place of death: Ard Mhuire Friary, County Donegal
Place of burial: Cemetery, Ard Mhuire Friary, County Donegal

Born: 31 July 1926, Lehanmore, County Cork
Entered juniorate: August 1939, Coláiste Muire, Douglas, Cork
Reception: 6 August 1943
Professed: 12 August 1945
Died: 19 January 1999
Interred: Blessed Edmund Rice Cemetery, Mount St Joseph, Cork